State auditor: Superintendent’s eMail message was illegal

By eSchool News

October 29th, 2008

Rankin County, Miss., schools Superintendent Lynn Weathersby said he intended to be informative when he praised school board incumbents in an eMail message to district parents about the Nov. 4 election. But according to the state auditor’s office, the message–sent Oct. 6 from a school district eMail account and, possibly, from a district computer–was illegal, reports the Clarion Ledger. With no loss of taxpayers’ funds, there might be no penalties against the district. In the meantime, some Rankin County candidates and voters question whether Weathersby acted ethically. The situation has raised additional ethical questions because the board determines Weathersby’s salary. In his message, Weathersby lauds incumbents Cecil McCrory and Larry Black Jr. for their work on the board and expresses a desire to continue working with them. The other three people vying for the school board seats are not mentioned. Weathersby said the message was intended to raise awareness of the election. But usng a school computer or a school eMail address to send the campaign-related message was illegal. A complaint about the situation was filed with state Auditor Stacey Pickering’s office, and the matter has been turned over to the school board for correction. The board or Weathersby could correct the situation by sending parents a message saying there was no intention to influence their votes…